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Updated: Feb 23, 2026

An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Naked-eye and Selective Detection of Mercury (II) Ions in Mixed Aqueous Media Using a Cellulose-based Support
César Díez-Gil1, Antonio Caballero2, Imma Ratera1
1Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC)-CIBER-BBN, Campus Universitari, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
Abstract:
A test paper for high-selectivity detecting Hg2+ ions in mixed acetonitrile-watersolutions has been achieved using a bis(ferrocenyl) azine, as chromogenic chemosensormolecule, and a solid cellulose fibre, as a substrate. Depending on the amount of mercuryions in contact with the detecting molecule a spectacular color change in the celluloseindicator is produced, being possible to determine the concentration of Hg2+ ions either bynaked eye or spectroscopically.
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